Sports

Avalanche's Matt Duchene listed day-to-day with hand injury

Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene, right, skates to the bench after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators in the third period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn. The Predators won 5-3. (AP | Mark Humphrey)

Avalanche center Matt Duchene missed practice today with the hand injury he sustained in Monday's 9-1 loss to the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center.

Duchene, who leads the team with 21 goals and 47 points and has played in all 57 games, is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"He's being examined as we speak right now," Avs coach Joe Sacco said after practice. "I'll know more in the morning, but right now we'll just list him as day-to-day."

Wingers Brandon Yip and Milan Hejduk also missed today's 90-minute workout, but Sacco said neither player is injured. Rookie defenseman Cameron Gaunce was back on the ice after taking a puck off the foot in Monday's game.

Gaunce could not complete his shift and a referee had to stop play while he was kneeling on the ice in front of the Avs goal. It appeared Gaunce might have broken his foot, but it is just a bruise.

Meanwhile, the Avs will try to snap a eight-game losing streak _ the franchise's longest since moving to Colorado in 1995 _ against the Penguins team that will be without star forwards Sidney Crosby (concussion) and Evgeni Malkin (knee).

The Penguins have scored 173 goals, second most in the Eastern Conference. They have 74 points — 18 more than the Avs — and are in the No. 4 playoff spot.

A handful of Avs were asked about the Penguins today, but nobody wanted to say much about the next opponent.

"We're looking forward to the game tomorrow, but for us, it's about what we do," said Avs defenseman John-Michael Liles, who was minus-6 against the Flames. "It's about getting back to how we play, our identity as a team, and playing with that confidence, that little bit of swagger.

"Last night, it could have been a lot of different teams. It could have been not an NHL team and we probably would have been in the same situation."

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